184 Notes on Teucrium Scorodonia crispum 



" crested " variety of Teucrium Scorodonia as a local form, or to the 

 species as one in which the abnormality of leaf-structure known as 

 " cresting " has been observed. 



For the original material, I am indebted to Dr F. Stansfield, in 

 whose garden the plant has been cultivated for many years. 



Dr Stansfield's plants are vegetative descendants of a wild plant 

 found in Devonshire at least 50 years ago, — exact date and locality 

 unknown. The plants are readily increased by division and by cuttings 

 and have remained true to type during this long period of vegetative 

 propagation. 



There is no tendency for the leaves to revert to the type normal for 

 the species, such as is exhibited, for instance, in similar crested leaf- 

 varieties of Anemone japonica and of Viola sp., in both of which 

 corresponding forms with crisped leaves are known but are not per- 

 manent under cultivation. The flowers of these crested Teucrium 

 plants are normal, viable seed is formed and the plant sows itself freely 

 under cultivation. 



Dr Stansfield has observed many generations of such self-sown seed- 

 lings in his garden, and they are invariably of the normal type, showing 

 no trace of the " crested " character. 



The possibility of accidental crossing appeared to be excluded, since 

 the nearest wild plants of 2\ Scorodonia are at least two miles distant. 

 The correctness of this view is confirmed by the results of the experi- 

 ments recorded below. 



In 1913 flowers of a "crested" plant were pollinated from wild 

 plants of T. Scorodonia and also from plants growing in the Cambridge 

 Botanic Gardens. 



These crosses gave about 20 seeds, the majority of which germinated, 

 yielding an Fi generation with normal leaves (PI. X, fig. 3). 



These Fi plants have been under cultivation since that time and 

 have never given the slightest indication of their hybrid origin. 



The cross has not been made in the reverse direction. 



In 1915 several of the F^ plants were selfed and were also crossed 

 with the " crested " grandparent, using the latter as pollen parent. 



These crosses yielded an F^ generation of approximately 200 seeds 

 in the first case and of 12 seeds in the second case. From the 200 

 seeds 89 seedlings were raised, all of which grew to maturity and have 

 continued to grow without showing any trace of the " crested " habit 

 (PL X, fig. 4). 



None of the seeds obtained from the other cross germinated. 



